Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Surgery #47: Nothing ever goes as planned

As most friends and followers are aware I have been in the fight of my life against lie-threatening infections. I've now undergone 47 surgeries including the chosen amputation of my right leg above the knee. In September I underwent surgery for infection in my nub.

All things considered, the surgery was one of the simplest and faster surgeries I've undergone I'm the past 9 years. The only surgeries that beat this one were the two times various limb fixators were removed from my leg. However, what made this one so different has to do with the events that took place at the end off last year.

Again, most know that in Dec I went through a marathon of surgeries. I had developed out of nowhere the biggest and worst abscess in my nub. On Dec 12th I once again entered Union Memorial Hospital. On December 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 I returned to the OR to have the massive wound cleaned out repeatedly. At the end of every trip to the OR They would take rolls of gauze and pack it fully into the wound after extracting the role placed inside the wound during the previous day. On the final two days in the hospital the dressing changes moved to the side of my bed with my surgeon and his chief resident doing the honors without any form of anesthetic. My favorite nurse traded schedules in order to there for me to allow me to squeeze her hand and to push more and more IV Dilaudid for the pain.

Things went well until two abscesses form a month after surgery which thankfully did not require further surgery as the abscesses we able to burst and drained through the open surgical wound. I was put on over a months worth of IV antibiotics and things seemed to do better. A week after stopping the meds though the abscesses were back and this time there were three of them. Two drained into the already open surgical wound while the third found another way out of my body forming a brand new wound. This third wound was very deep and very narrow with an exposed nerve making the packing process absolutely brutal though I tried my best not to complain. Today my team went in and widened that second wound removing the horrible nerve as they when.

One thing to remember is that Multiple Sclerosis and anesthesia as well as intense stress on the body do not mix well. I came out of this surgery no in pain so much as unable to breathe correctly. The nerves in my chest short circuited as they've done once of.i was left intubated longer than typical until steroids managed to fight my body.ive still had shallow breathing all day, a bad hand tremors,, body ticks and at times difficulty forming coherent thought. For these reasons plus pain it was decided that the best and safe test place for me tonight was here on my old stoping grounds of USN

Hopefully I will be sprung from this place tomorrow! Oh and as an aside for anyone who read my post back in Dec, once again I stripped myself of all jewelry save two yellow wristband - my "BELIEVE" band from my cousin reminding me just how many people love me and care. The second is my yellow Operation Ward57 band to remind me of what so man of our service members fight long and hard to survive.